The 'situation' room
by Loz06
Summary: CJ organizes a birthday surprise for Leo with some help from Nancy


Title: The 'situation' room  
  
Author: Loz   
  
E-Mail: loz06@yahoo.com  
  
Rating: PG-13  
  
Category: CJ/Leo  
  
Series: None  
  
Spoilers: So minor... for that episode in which the opening paragraph comes from... The name fails me at the moment... sorry!!  
  
Archive (if applicable): The National Library http://westwingstories.com/library, also http://www.fanfiction.net  
  
Feedback: The good, the bad and the very ugly it's all appreciated.   
  
Summary: CJ organizes a birthday surprise for Leo with some help from Nancy  
  
Author's Notes: None  
  
Disclaimers: I'd like to be in a 'situation' where I'm in part ownership of the characters you read below...sadly this is not a reality.  
  
*  
  
"One day I'm going to get called to the Situation Room and it's going to be good news. We'll have discovered buried treasure or it turns out there's life on Andromeda and they think we're doing a good job. When's that day going to come Nancy? When's that going to happen?" Leo McGarry looks up to the National Security Advisor.  
  
"Settle down." she deadpans.  
  
~*~  
  
"Hey Nancy." CJ doesn't bother hiding her surprise at finding Nancy McNally waiting in her office.  
  
"Hey CJ."  
  
"What can I do for you?" CJ throws the paperwork in her arms down on the desk and then indicates for her to take a seat.  
  
"What are you doing for Leo's birthday this year?" the older woman crosses her legs and rests her hands in her lap.  
  
"I ah don't know." CJ looks up from her phone messages. "The President will probably organize something like usual."  
  
"No I mean what are *you* doing for Leo's birthday?"  
  
"What everyone else does." CJ looks across at her, perplexed by the line of questioning.  
  
"CJ I'm the National Security Advisor." Nancy states.  
  
"Leo's birthday is a problem for National Security?" CJ broaches.  
  
"I'm a smart woman CJ, I'm not blind."  
  
"Good to know." CJ nods enthusiastically.  
  
"What are just you and Leo doing for his birthday?"  
  
CJ stares as politely as she can. "How did you know?" she shifts in her chair.  
  
"It's pretty obvious CJ."  
  
"It is not!" CJ protests forcefully.  
  
"It's Ok, I have bigger secrets that I'm burdened with everyday." Nancy waves a casual hand in front of her.  
  
"Nobody else knows." it's part question, part statement.  
  
"Of course not you're surrounded by men...I have a sister who's a teacher, she's in a small school in Georgia, there's six teachers, four men and two women. Two years ago my sister decided there was something going on between the other woman in the staff room and one of the men, six months later they announced they were getting married, nobody else had any idea they'd been seeing each other...women have a radar for things like that, most men don't notice the subtle signs."  
  
"What signs?" CJ shifts in her chair again.  
  
"He's happy, you're happy, he looks at you and you look at him differently, just subtly and when he thinks no one is looking he's very considerate towards you."  
  
CJ shakes her head smiling.  
  
"Your secrets safe." the National Security Advisor promises.  
  
"Mmm well until the next person puts two and two together and gets a relationship, and it's not likely they'll have such tight lips."  
  
"Not much can be done about that." Nancy shrugs. "Two months right." Nancy grins.  
  
"Jesus." CJ rolls her eyes. "I'm starting to feel like you're a third party, dare I ask how you figured it out."  
  
"He came down to the Sit room one day rambling about getting good news when he comes down once, big grin on his face."  
  
"Hang on what does this have to do with Leo's birthday?" CJ asks trying to put all the pieces together.  
  
"I thought you might like to be the good news on his birthday."  
  
"So I just go down there in my sexiest underwear?"  
  
"If that's what turns you on."  
  
"Nancy!"  
  
"It can be arranged CJ."  
  
"Oh so you'll just rent me the room." CJ smirks.  
  
"It won't be a problem."  
  
"Yeah till The President and ten other staffers roll through the door because there's increased activity on the border between India and Pakistan or a flare up in the Middle East."  
  
"It can be done." Nancy says standing up.  
  
"Uh huh." CJ's clearly not convinced.  
  
"Call me when you decide." the National Security Advisor says as she breezes out of the room.  
  
~*~  
  
"Hey CJ, I didn't realize you were back." Carol calls from the outer office late Friday that week, her arms laden with inter office documents.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"CJ..."  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Is that my Victoria's Secret catalogue?" CJ snaps the glossy pages down to find Carol standing on the other side of her desk.  
  
"It was on your desk." CJ offers.  
  
"Care to share something with me?"  
  
"Would *you* care to share something with me." CJ answers question with question.  
  
"That's none of your business." Carol laughs snapping up the catalogue from CJ's desk.  
  
"I like what you circled on page five." CJ smiles.  
  
"You've had calls while you were gone." Carol gets back to business.  
  
"Hit me." CJ replies opening her computer.  
  
"AP wants to discuss the new environment bill."  
  
"They get the same time as everyone else." CJ mumbles opening her email client.  
  
"Margaret was here, The President has organized lunch and dinner in the residence Sunday for Leo's birthday, I'm assuming that piece of information is your invitation."   
  
"Next." CJ sighs, it appears she and Leo won't have five minutes together on his birthday.  
  
"And..." Carol fumbles with the paper in her hands.  
  
"Nancy McNally called, she wants to know if you've considered what you two talked about the other day and could you call her with a decision please."  
  
"Ok." CJ clears the three pieces of junk email from her inbox.  
  
"You want me to take care of that one?"  
  
"No I haven't made my mind up yet."  
  
"She needs an answer today."  
  
After a moment of consideration CJ instructs her assistant to "Tell her yes then... and ask if she can stop by sometime today."  
  
~*~  
  
"I know that smile, I've used is many times before." CJ says as Nancy shuts CJ's office door later that afternoon.  
  
"What smile."  
  
"That one that says I've just introduced my friend to her life partner or situations similar."  
  
"I didn't introduce you to Leo."  
  
"For a National Security Advisor you have a terrible poker face." CJ grins.  
  
"You on the other hand look guilty."  
  
"I stole my assistants copy of the fall Victoria's Secret catalogue."  
  
"A heinous crime in societies eyes."  
  
"I think she's trying to get someone to go out with her... she probably needs it more than I do."  
  
"Long as it isn't the same man." Nancy shrugs.  
  
"We've got a problem." CJ leans back in her chair. "The President has planned a meal...or two in the residence on Sunday."  
  
"I don't see there problem there, you'll both be in the building, you can sneak away come down to my office, I'll take you to the sit room and then I'll get Margaret to come and get Leo."  
  
"You have an answer for everything don't you."  
  
"Sometimes."  
  
~*~  
  
"You heard." Leo announces he's home that night, his arms wrap around CJ as she makes a salad and his head bangs gently against her back.  
  
"Lunch and dinner Sunday, is he mad?" CJ waves the knife around in her hand.  
  
"No just cruel." Leo steals a piece of cheese CJ is cutting, leaning back against the kitchen table.  
  
"But all day...really." CJ's already dreading it.  
  
"Now I can't spend it with you, you who'd take me to dinner." Leo complains.  
  
"That's not where you'd want me to take you." CJ grins devilishly.  
  
"What are you doing tomorrow?" he wanders out of the room, shrugging off his coat and leaving his bag by the coffee table.  
  
"No comment." CJ mumbles.  
  
"No comment, I'm not the press." he smiles.  
  
"Well I'd tell you...but then I'd have to kill you." she shrugs, smile from ear to ear.  
  
"Secret women's business." he holds up the Victoria's Secret catalogue that CJ left on the coffee table.   
  
"Wouldn't you like to know?" CJ counters, slicing a tomato.  
  
"I like these." he flicks open to the page that Carol had circled.  
  
~*~   
  
As CJ wanders through the rows of bras and panties, she smiles remembering Leo sitting up in bed earlier that morning, watching her with interest getting dressed.  
  
Bring me back something nice he'd requested cheekily after she'd kissed him goodbye.  
  
"I must be crazy... I am crazy." CJ tells herself as she picks up the matching navy set in her size that Carol had circled and Leo had admired  
  
"Certifiable." she mutters as she makes her way to pay  
  
~*~  
  
"What'd you get me?" he calls when CJ shuts the front door.  
  
"Nothing." she yells unnecessarily as he comes to greet her, her arms empty of any bags. In the car downstairs are the Victoria's Secret purchase and the order form for the cedar oak desk that will be delivered this afternoon and will replace the wobbly table of hers he presently sits at when they're at home. The new one is more him... it has statesmanship, charity would reject CJ's table on the grounds of it being unsafe.  
  
"You're wearing it aren't you." he steps closer to her.  
  
"No I'm not." CJ smiles hanging up her coat.  
  
He stands staring at her with a big grin on his face.  
  
"I'm not!" she protests good naturedly, watching his fingers work nimbly at the buttons to her blouse till it reveals the cotton white bra he watched her put on this morning.  
  
"What is with you...last night and today your so..."  
  
"Horny."  
  
"I was going to say frisky." CJ does up the last button.  
  
"It's my birthday."  
  
"So I should put out more because of that fact?" Her arms cross her chest.  
  
"The gesture would be well and truly appreciated."  
  
"You're incredible." her face breaks into a huge grin and she slaps him gently on her way into the living room.  
  
"Thank you I know." he replies sitting next to her on the couch.  
  
"So am I going to get luckier tomorrow?" he broaches after a few minutes of silence.  
  
"You're going to get lucky tonight and tomorrow." CJ promises taking her eyes away from her book long enough to seal her promise with a kiss.  
  
~*~  
  
"Happy birthday." CJ says as she watches the digital clock on her desk roll over to twelve oh one Sunday.  
  
"You're not going to buy me any new furniture anytime in the future are you?" wrapped around him CJ can feel his heart beat returning to normal after their activity.  
  
"No why?" CJ lifts her head from his chest; in the dulled light he can just make out her questioning look.  
  
"Because I'm really too old to be having sex anywhere that doesn't have at least one layer of cushioning."  
  
"God, you and me both." CJ reaches up to kiss him Happy Birthday.  
  
~*~  
  
A long low groan is the first indicator that CJ's awake. Somehow Leo has leeched himself onto her during the night and he rolls with her as she reaches for the clock.  
  
In front of her face she has to look twice at the two hands that read eleven thirty.  
  
"Leo we're late." CJ says rubbing her eyes.  
  
"Leo get up." CJ sighs dropping the clock over the side of the bed.  
  
"Leo we're supposed to be there now."  
  
"I know you're faking." she picks up his hand resting on her back.  
  
"I'm not going," he affirms, pulling himself closer to her.  
  
"This isn't an 'it's my birthday and I'll cry if I want to' situation." she tells him, his head turns to face hers, neither moving to get off their stomachs and out of bed.  
  
"This is your fault," he grins at her brushing her hair that falls in her face over her shoulders.  
  
"You were a willing participant." she defends remembering them climbing into bed and falling asleep sometime after two thirty.  
  
"Thank you for last night." he shifts closer, kissing her sleepily.  
  
"We have to get up." she insists pulling herself to sit upright, throwing her legs over the side of the bed, her foot landing on the clock.  
  
"Where are you going?" he grabs her hand, pulling her back into the bed on her back.  
  
"We're both late, people are going to wonder." she states the obvious as he kisses his favourite spots on her neck.  
  
CJ thinks he says I know, but it's hard to tell as he disappears down her body, gently molding her breasts in his hands, taking one of her areolas into his mouth.  
  
"Leo." she warns but does nothing to stop him as he nips and kisses his way across her rib cage, the smooth skin of her stomach and tickles around her navel with his tongue.  
  
Her breath intake sharpens as his hands slide gently down her hips and across her thighs; she knows his lips will soon follow.  
  
"Ow." he protests as she grabs a handful of hair, pulling him back up her body. "I don't have much of that left you realize." he rubs the crown of his head.  
  
"As much as I'd love for you to continue and then return the favour..."  
  
"All right." he sighs giving in, the distraction almost working. "Is it too much to ask to spend my birthday in bed with the woman I love?"  
  
"Can you take a rain check?" she looks over her shoulder as she sits on the side of the bed pulling on her robe.  
  
"I suppose." he tosses himself back into the depths of their pillows.  
  
"Tonight then." she teases walking towards the bathroom.  
  
~*~  
  
"We should just tell people." CJ says as she pulls into a park at the OEOB.  
  
"No!" Leo protests vehenimately, happy to stay with their arrangement of CJ entering the building and Leo following five minutes later.  
  
"This is ridiculous." CJ throws her hands against the wheel.  
  
"Just not today, I don't want to have to deal with Jed and questions and strategies about how to spin us like we're some junior staffer who opened their mouth with a damaging quote from some member of the senior staff."  
  
"It's your party." CJ says grabbing the un-marked bag from off the back seat and opening the door.  
  
"And I'll celebrate it the way I want to." Leo finishes.  
  
"All evidence to the contrary." CJ raises her eyebrows before shutting the door to her BMW.  
  
"What's in the bag?" Leo yells, but she part doesn't hear him and part ignores him.  
  
~*~  
  
"CJ Good evening." the President greets, part upset, part teasing.  
  
"I'm sorry sir." CJ grimaces though she's not really, nothing would have made her give up last night. "Is Leo here?" she looks around the room catching eyes with her colleagues knowing full well he's still sitting in her car or making his way into the building now.  
  
"Not yet." The President grumbles. "I'm about to ring him now."  
  
"Well I'm not late then." CJ excuses herself to the safe company of Toby.  
  
~*~  
  
"What time is it?" CJ looks up from the bathroom sink she's leaning over, in the reflection of the mirror she sees him standing watching her.  
  
"Two." she sighs, watching him lock the bathroom door.  
  
"Headache." he asks standing next to her looking at her reflection.  
  
"Yeah and something that was in lunch isn't agreeing with me." She bends over the sink again, her hair blocking his view of her face.  
  
"You think they'd notice if we left? You look a little green." she allows one of his gentle hands to rub her stomach trying to settle it.  
  
"I'll be all right." CJ nods searching her bag for the drug store she usually carries with her. Leo watches her down two innocent looking white tablets with only a handful of water... in the worst of times he could swallow them dry.  
  
"Hey." Leo says softly turning her around to lean against the bathroom sinks.   
  
"You can go home if you don't feel well, take some more tablets and hop into bed, I'll try and get away early, I won't wake you when I get home." gently his hands climb to cup her face.  
  
"I love you." she shakes her head no reaching under his jacket to pull him closer to her and pressing his lips to hers.  
  
"My back teeth are floating out here." Josh's voice floats over his loud banging on the door.  
  
"Use another one Josh I don't feel well." CJ grits her teeth, leaning into Leo's warm embrace.   
  
"There are ten bathrooms on this floor." Leo mumbles.  
  
~*~  
  
"The First lady noticed you didn't eat much at dinner." Leo sits next to CJ on the couch.  
  
"She wouldn't be too impressed to know half that fancy New Hampshire salmon they served for lunch was flushed away five hours ago." CJ lifts her head from in between her knees looking across at Leo.  
  
"I don't know how much more of this I can take." Leo leans back into the couch resting a gentle hand on the small of her back.  
  
"What time is it?" CJ rubs her face, watching the rest of the people in the room.  
  
"Seven thirty."  
  
"I'm going to get some air." CJ tells him letting her hand caress across his thigh as she stands up.  
  
~*~  
  
The halls are dark, quite and empty and the rumble of CJ's stomach seems to bounce of every surface as she quickly makes her way towards her office. Right now she's hungry having emptied her stomach and now she craves a simple salad...too many years of eating on the run have left her stomach unable to cope with complex spices and garlic.  
  
No one is around to hear her door lock or the blinds fold shut, out of the unmarked bag she pulls the Victoria's Secret purchase, stripping down and silently pulling on the bra and panties, replacing the practical as opposed to decorative underwear she put on this morning.  
  
From the cupboard she pulls the ankle length coat she only wears when it snows and does the buttons up the front. You'd never know underneath she wasn't wearing her usual work attire.  
  
Satisfied CJ returns her office to normal, hiding her clothes and heads for Nancy.  
  
~*~  
  
"About time." the National Security Advisor jokes good-naturedly.  
  
"You've obviously never eaten ten courses with the President." CJ replies dryly.  
  
"Ten?" Nancy questions..."Another time." she waves her hand realizing what a large conversation it would be.  
  
"You're going to call."  
  
"Yeah, Margaret's in his office right?"  
  
"Nancy I don't know... its Sunday" CJ whines expecting her to have everything sorted.  
  
"Let's see what happens." she picks up the phone dialing the familiar number. "Being diverted," she informs CJ whose foot is tapping on the carpet beneath her.  
  
"Margaret, it's Nancy, I need him to come to the Situation Room, yeah thanks."  
  
She puts down the phone with a smug look on her face. "Well go."  
  
"I don't know where to go." CJ retorts.  
  
"I forgot, down the hall second door on your left...you haven't changed your mind because there's no false alarms."  
  
"There's no secret stuff in there is there?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Nobody's going to come in with a national emergency."  
  
"Go CJ."  
  
"Thanks."  
  
~*~  
  
A couple of people turn in the direction that the shrill ringing is coming from, others dive for their handbags and belts looking to see if it's someone calling them.  
  
Margaret wins the prize and as Leo watches her talk to whoever is on the other end of the conversation he knows the calls been patched through to the office and somebody is going to need him somewhere.  
  
"It's the Sit room." Margaret tells him somberly and Leo's first instinct is to look for CJ but he can't see her, his best guess is the bathroom down the hall.  
  
"I'll come with you." The President insists ushering Leo out of the room.  
  
~*~  
  
CJ consciously doesn't look at the maps posted around the Sit room, there's nothing classified in the room, just what the national security team bring into it. Still she avoids the topographical maps of world hot spots, shedding the large coat onto the floor, picking the high back chair at the back of the room and swiveling in it to face the back wall.  
  
Now all that's left is to wait.  
  
~*~  
  
"It's Sunday." The President mumbles as they walk down the stairs to the situation room.  
  
"It's Monday in other parts of the world." Leo replies absently, grabbing the handle to open the door.  
  
~*~  
  
Outside CJ hears movement; she pulls the panties so they sit flush on her hips and for good measure pushes her breasts up.  
  
~*~  
  
"Guess we're the first ones here." The President assumes as he and Leo look around the empty room.  
  
~*~  
  
Around the back of the chair CJ's adrenaline courses through her veins and she swears The President should be able to hear her heart beating.  
  
~*~  
  
"We should be the last ones here." Leo walks down the side of the large table, to investigate the backward turned chair.  
  
~*~  
  
CJ sits frozen when she hears Leo's voice as well; her panic rises as she hears soft footsteps draw closer to where she's sitting.  
  
Right now she wishes she'd chosen to hide under the table and surprise Leo.  
  
~*~  
  
Leo knows the coat that is crumpled on the floor and he should know it.  
  
Last winter they'd gone for a walk one night after coming home from work and she'd kissed him out in public in front of a fountain somewhere... throwing caution to the wind was easy at two forty five in the morning. As they'd gotten more involved in the kiss CJ had swung the coat around him as well, trapping him warmly in her arms.  
  
He also knows who owns that milky white thigh.  
  
In fact he does fairly well for someone who's just seen his girlfriend practically naked in the same room as the President.  
  
"Sir why don't you go back upstairs and I'll go find someone who can tell us what's going on." Leo's voice is met with a grunting reply from the President.  
  
"This couldn't be Margaret extracting some revenge could it?" CJ hears Bartlet ask as the door slowly clicks shut.  
  
Slowly CJ lets every muscle in her body unclench.  
  
~*~  
  
Leo waits listening to the President's heavy footsteps go up the stairs till they reach the carpet. A cursory glance is taken to make sure Jed Bartlet has really gone before he flings open the doors to the situation room, pulling them quietly shut behind him.  
  
"CJ." he says levelly.  
  
"Surprise." she says meekly coming out of her chair.  
  
He swallows and lessons the severity of his tone, "What are you doing?"  
  
"I thought you might like some good news out of this room." she slinks her way towards him playing up the hip swings and he becomes visibly affected by her attire.  
  
"I nearly had a heart attack from this room." he grins, eyes traveling over the gentle swell of her breasts in the navy wonder bra.  
  
"I thought you'd be alone."  
  
"Obviously." he says dryly reaching his hands to her hips.  
  
"I heard you wanted some good news out of this room, so I thought I'd come down and be it."  
  
"What happens if there was a real emergency?"  
  
"It's taken care of." her head tilts, smile reaching across her face.  
  
"I don't want to know." he reaches up capturing her lips with his, hands running across every inch of bare skin he can find.  
  
"Would it be inappropriate of me to sit on the table?" CJ asks breaking away from the breath-taking kiss.  
  
Leo shakes his head, his body flushed he watches her glide easily across the shiny tabletop.  
  
"Come here." CJ uses her best seductive voice, skimming and errant finger across her swollen lips.  
  
~*~  
  
CJ's legs wrap around Leo in a pointless attempt to get him closer to her, his hips are already digging into the side of the table and CJ is sitting so close on the edge of the table she's in danger of falling off.  
  
"You're too good I don't deserve you." he gently pries her lips away from his neck looking sincerely at her.  
  
"I love you." CJ whispers losing herself in another kiss.  
  
"I don't know if this is such a national security issue myself." the booming voice shocks them both making them jump.  
  
"Oh shit." CJ frantically grabs for the coat that she'd dragged from the chair, wrapping it around herself like a toga.  
  
"Tell me that isn't who I think it is?" Leo's eyes don't leave hers, frozen to the spot by some unknown force.  
  
"If you think it's anyone but the President then I'm the bearer of good news." CJ only somewhat manages to hide her smile.  
  
"How did he get in here?" Leo glares at her.  
  
"The door was open." Jed Bartlet offers.  
  
"Didn't you lock the door after you?" It's CJ's turn to glare back.  
  
"I sent him back to the party." Leo's head shakes.  
  
"I came to see what was taking so long." Jed pipes in finding it strange to be having a conversation with two people who are yet to acknowledge his existence and continue to talk about him like he's not there.  
  
"You think we should tell him." Leo asks.  
  
"He's pretty smart...I think he's worked it out." CJ tugs the coat tighter around herself.  
  
"Am I keeping you two from some private celebrations somewhere by any chance?" The President waves his hands around.  
  
"No sir." CJ manages to finally make eye contact, her blush kept to a minimum.  
  
"Is there any chance I could have my situation room back, before you both totally change its definition of situation? Just you know..?"  
  
"Yes sir." CJ slides of the table still holding the coat awkwardly around her.  
  
"CJ you're not coming back to the party dressed... like that are you?"  
  
"No Sir." CJ looks down at the coat pulled tight around her, the arms dangling down the side of her.  
  
"Ok." The President wanders out of the room.  
  
~*~  
  
"You don't have any other surprises for me do you?" Leo watches CJ throw her clothes back on in her office.  
  
CJ laughs, "No, that was excitement enough for a decade." as she does up her last button.  
  
"I think I'm going to have to take you home." Leo watches her stuff her coat back where she got it for another 'snowy' day.  
  
"He's going to want to talk to us." CJ throws her boring underwear in the plain bag.  
  
"If I don't take you home now we might have another 'situation' on our hands."  
  
"Yeah the President can wait, it's not like it's detrimental to national security." CJ's eyes light up before she leads him out of the office and out to her car.  
  
Home for some private celebrations.  
  
~*~ 


End file.
